Somewhere between the aspiration and Hollywood, is a gulf where many would-be filmmakers are lost. This blog is about recording my insights, mapping the progress and unearthing the truth along the way.

Getting what I came for,
C.M. Sanchez III
Film Student
Brooklyn, NY

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Who's Money Do You Trust?

Point taken. Having not received any real money yet to do much of anything, you all know I've done my share of dreaming. At some point it did cross my mind that I might be too excited when the first prospect revealed itself. And what would I do? Who knows?

Before this blog post from Slated, I probably would have suffered from depression stemming from the realization that I wouldn't know where to begin. I've recently finished Robert Rodriguez's book, "Rebel Without a Crew," which is a fun and informative read of what a trip to Hollywood was like in the early 90's. He was effectively taken care of and his life changed almost overnight.

However this isn't the 90's and considering serious business from the standpoint of a novice seems like entering a shark tank with no armor on. What a wonderful thing the internet is? Simply put: interview your investors. It's a major concern from the upper echelon who's doing what and associated with whom. Your financiers reflect on you. It's not that your investors have to be royalty. But they should be credible. They should be flexible and on the same page with you, preferably have some film experience or have advisers that are educated in film business, and most importantly there should be transparency about their history. That said, and as written in this blog post, Hollywood has a penchant for eccentrics not always on the proper side of the law. With tens of millions of dollars to throw around, the average emerging artist is dealing with a perspective that is as good as alien.

I fear there's no way to prepare for someone with that kind of power other than to meditate on the fact that all of that money comes with a shortened imagination. It's constantly seeking a way to increase its wealth and it can't do so without investing in something as yet undiscovered or as yet exploited. If that product is you than there is an inherent value you have as a creator with which you can contend. And while the world may not have fully established that creative aspect as equal to gold, it certainly is respected for its ability to create gold.

Regardless, take time and do your homework. Map the industry, learn the faces slowly but surely. Don't agree to the first thing that sounds nice. Protect what you have, who you are, and your ability to keep working first before anything.

About Me

I've worked too many jobs growing up that had no meaning and frankly the life before film-making is all a wash. I've never been tested the way I've been tested in this practice. And it's so not over.

I'm currently graduating with a B.F.A. in Creative Writing and a minor in Film. Was a thesis film away from a 2nd major in production and I'll probably always half regret not just doing it but without a matching education in micro-budget distribution and grass roots marketing, that 5-15 grand would have been a waste and a further burden added to my already steep student loans. Time to take it on the road.